An internal combustion engine of the type named above is described in DE 103 15 148 A1. In a suitable valve position, the air required by the supercharger in an internal combustion engine as named above can be fed to the turbine of the exhaust gas turbocharger. By means of this measure, a more spontaneous response is achieved in the transition from idle to a higher load output.
Other approaches for a supercharger-supported turbocharging are found in, by way of example, DE 33 17 017 A1, DE 42 10 070 C1, or GB 21 21 474 A; however, these approaches do not enable a spontaneous response in the transition from idle to a higher load output.
Moreover, a comparably high flexibility and/or dynamic behavior with which the spontaneous response can be made available is also desirable, in addition to a more spontaneous response in the transition from idle to a higher load output. On this point, the measures to-date are wanting of improvement. This is true in general both for a single-stage and a two-stage charging of a combustion engine. As such, the measures named in DE 198 37 978 A1 and GB 21 21 474 A are quite insufficient, because they only enable a comparably sluggish reaction of an internal combustion engine to a performance demand in cases where a highly-flexible and spontaneous response is needed in the transition from idle to a higher load output.
A fully different concept can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,045 B2, by way of example, which focuses on providing an internal combustion engine with a wide spectrum of rotation speeds, while expressly accepting a rather sluggish response. This document fundamentally suggests operating a first electric machine in the form of a motor/generator with an engine rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, and coupling this first electric machine to a second motor/generator which is connected to the axle of a turbocharger. This enables, depending on the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, an operation of the second motor/generator either as a generator—at low rotation speed—or as a motor—at high rotation speed of the internal combustion engine. At high rotation speeds of the internal combustion engine, the additionally generated electrical power of the second motor/generator can therefore be coupled back to the internal combustion engine together with the power of the first motor/generator, in order to achieve a still higher overall output. A similar concept is described in WO 2008/079180 A1.
However, such concepts do not contribute to increasing, in a targeted manner, a spontaneous response of the internal combustion engine. Rather, such concepts—for example, as described in general in DE 10 2007 010 027 A1, serve to provide a first approach for a hybrid drive. In DE 10 2007 010 027 A1, a drivetrain is described for this purpose, having a combustion engine and an electric machine in the form of a motor generator which rotates at the engine rotation speed. This motor/generator is coupled via a control device to both a second electric machine which is designed as a motor for the purpose of driving a compressor, and a third electric machine which is driven by a turbine in the exhaust gas flow as a generator. The electrical energy needed to drive the second electric machine is fed from the third electric machine to the second electric machine, in a manner controlled by the electronics. As such, an optimum operation point for the operation of the compressor is generally always available for the second electric machine. For the event that the third electric machine supplies more electrical energy than is needed by the second electric machine at a given point in time, the same can be used to operate the first electric machine designed as a motor/generator—meaning for so-called electric boosting. As an alternative or in addition thereto, the electrical energy can also be saved in an energy storage device. A redistribution of the power available, between the electric machines, by means of a controller, is comparatively difficult and does not contribute to a spontaneous response of the combustion engine.
The exemplary illustrations proceed from this point, and address the problem of providing an internal combustion engine of the type named above, as well as a watercraft, and a method for the operation of a watercraft power supply network using an internal combustion engine, wherein not only is the spontaneous response in the transition from idle to a higher load output improved, but also the flexible availability of the spontaneous response is improved. In particular, the spontaneous response should be available at a comparably high clock rate.
The problem with respect to the internal combustion engine is addressed by an internal combustion engine of the type named above, for example as described further below in regard to the exemplary illustrations.